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Winning bidder of Banksy artwork plans to whitewash it

An American artist has paid $730,000 US dollars (£561,000) for an artwork by Bristol artist Banksy painted on the side of a North London Poundland - then vowed to whitewash it.

Slave Labour depicts a young child on his knees at a sewing machine, producing a string of Union Jack bunting.

It was bought by Ron English at Julien's Auctions in Los Angeles on Wednesday who revealed he plans to whitewash it in protest against street art being bought and sold.

I'm going to paint it white again, I'm done. This is a blow for street art. It shouldn't be bought and sold. "I'm going to paint over it and just include it in one of the walls in my house. We're tired of people stealing our stuff off the streets and re-selling it so I'm just going to buy everything I can get my hands on and whitewash it.

New Banksy auction confirmed

Banksy works including Slave Labour are due to go under the hammer and auctioneers have promised no items will "shred or explode".

The anonymous graffiti artist's painting Girl With A Balloon self-destructed after being sold for more than £1m at Sotheby's, dropping through a shredder in its frame.

Auctioneers have promised no more stunts as they look to sell off Slave Labour, which features a young boy creating bunting at a sewing machine.
It was believed to be a rebuke of the use of sweatshop labour to produce celebratory products for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics in 2012.

Julien's Auctions have said that the piece is perfectly safe as are other Banksy pieces open to bidding.

Darren Julien, president of Julien's Auctions, said: "We can't guarantee that our four Banksy's will automatically shred or explode but they will sell to the highest bidder."

Julien's Auctions confirmed the plans to accept bids for Banksy's work after the artist destroyed some of his work in a stunt soon after it was sold for just over 1m on 6 October at Sotheby's in London.